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The crew of an Australian yacht face a wrenching wait for rescue
in rough seas with one man lost and the skipper seriously hurt
after it was smashed by a monster wave.

John Blackman, 55, was at the helm of the 17.5-metre fibreglass
ketch Cowrie Dancer when a 12-metre wave hit 2200 kilometres
south-east of Cape Town on Monday night.

His lifeline snapped and he was washed overboard into freezing
waters as the storm smashed the mizzen mast of the
Fremantle-registered vessel.

Late last night, the yacht's owner and skipper, Dale Peterson,
and another crew member, Nicholas Lawson, had managed to start the
boat's engine and begin a search for Mr Blackman.

No sign had been found of the missing sailor, the Cape Town
Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre said this morning.

Mr Peterson, of Perth, broke a leg when the yacht was knocked
down about 8pm on Monday and Mr Lawson, 38, is believed to have a
badly bruised leg and cuts to his head.

Mr Peterson's wife, Liz Paxton, said she got a call from her
husband on a satellite phone at 1am on Tuesday morning. She said Mr
Blackman was wearing an inflatable safety harness, but by last
night had been in the freezing waters for almost 24 hours.

Her husband was "quite lucid, but incapacitated" and in severe
pain, she said.

A fourth crew member, believed to be a South African, Carol
Erasmus, was unhurt.

A South African research vessel, the SA Agulhas, was last night
pounding through heavy seas to reach the Cowrie Dancer, but was at
least a day's sailing away.

The Agulhas had a doctor and helicopters on board, but was still
about 320 kilometres from the stricken vessel, Cape Town Maritime
Rescue Co-ordination Centre's Mark Steed told smh.com.au this
morning.

He expected the Agulhas to reach the Cowrie Dancer during the
early hours of tomorrow morning (Sydney time).

"The weather's very heavy - there are rough seas and strong
winds,'' Mr Steed said.

"The [Cowrie Dancer] is coping well - the master is quite badly
injured, but reported to be doing well and Mr Lawson has taken
charge.

"The Agulhas has been in direct contact with the yacht - it is a
very good vessel for the rescue.

"It has medical facilites, a doctor on-board and helicopters -
tomorrow it will send the helicopters up ahead to go and take a
look at the yacht.''